Chapter 2185: Fengdu Great Emperor

For many years, Zu'an has been the de facto sovereign of the human, demon, and sea races, so the Heavenly Emperor's motive for doing this is not hard to guess.

Even heavenly immortals cannot escape the machinations of an emperor.

Since this world has the Jing River Dragon King, the Netherworld, and Xuanzang's pilgrimage for scriptures, it's highly probable that Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, also caused havoc in the Heavenly Court 500 years ago. The entire world of *Journey to the West* likely exists here. At that time, the Heavenly Emperor was quite humiliated by Sun Wukong, as none of his immortal subordinates were a match for him; Sun Wukong fought all the way to outside the Southern Gate.

However, later, during Sun Wukong's pilgrimage, he often encountered immortal mounts descending to become demons. These mounts, by simply stealing a single magic treasure from their masters, would cause Sun Wukong immense trouble. While part of the reason was Sun Wukong holding back, it also begged the question: weren't those immortals deliberately holding back back then, allowing Sun Wukong to cause havoc in the Heavenly Palace? The Heavenly Emperor likely realized that while these immortals were nominally his subordinates, they were secretly disobedient. This is probably why he decided to introduce the power of Buddhism to balance the power of Taoism.

With two opposing forces, the Heavenly Emperor would have much more room for maneuver.

Speaking of which, if the Heavenly Emperor were the mastermind, then Zu'an's act of writing a letter to report to him in the first trial would have very likely invited a deadly disaster. It must have been the colossus that helped him at that time, allowing him to pass the trial smoothly.

At that moment, a beam of light suddenly converged before his eyes, forming a human figure that slowly walked towards him.

The figure was dressed in black imperial robes and wore a crown. Standing there, his aura surpassed that of all the Yama Kings Zu'an had previously seen in the Netherworld.

"You are... the colossus?" Zu'an asked, somewhat uncertainly. He could clearly see the other's face, yet he found that he couldn't retain the image in his mind, nor could he even find a single adjective to describe it.

The phantom figure smiled faintly and said, "That's right, I am the colossus you speak of. But to be precise, people refer to me as Emperor Du, the true ruler of the Netherworld."

"Emperor Du?" Zu'an was utterly astonished. He had, of course, heard the legends that above the Five Ghost Emperors there was a supreme ruler of the Underworld. Some legends spoke of Kṣitigarbha, while others spoke of Emperor Du. However, these were merely myths from his previous life. In this current cultivation world, the names of such powerful beings carried immense power and could not be spoken casually.

Upon realizing this, his expression changed instantly. If he were to utter the name of such an entity, wouldn't he...? As if sensing his concern, Emperor Du smiled faintly and said, "No need to worry. In this world of mine, I can naturally protect you."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and suddenly a stone table and chairs appeared between them, with a wine pot and two cups on the table.

Emperor Du sat down and personally poured a cup of wine. "Old friend," he said, "sit down and have a drink."

Zu'an felt a mix of surprise and delight. He wasn't afraid, however, and sat down to clink cups with the other figure.

"Good wine," Zu'an remarked. He had to admit, this wine was better than any he had ever tasted, so much so that even calling it "nectar and jade liquid" felt insufficient. "This wine, you gave it to me back then," Emperor Du said with a smile.

Zu'an regained his composure. "You keep calling me 'old friend,' but I don't even know who I am. Since your domain can block other perceptions, could you please tell me my true identity?"

This was the first glimmer of hope he had seen. Whenever this topic came up before, whether with Pei Li or other beings, it was always unspeakable. But now, in this unique world, even the Heavenly Emperor and Emperor Du could be mentioned, suggesting that many secrets could finally be uncovered.

To his surprise, Emperor Du gently shook his head. "No, the karma you are involved in is too vast. Given the current circumstances, I cannot reveal your identity."

Zu'an: "It seemed Emperor Du sensed his dissatisfaction and smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "Seeing you now proves that our decision back then was correct. You will grow stronger and stronger, and ultimately, you will change your predetermined destiny."

Zu'an sighed. "You're all riddle-givers. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now, so how am I supposed to change any destiny?"

"You only need to know that you must keep getting stronger," Emperor Du said. "And that keyboard is with you, isn't it? With her, you will always be guided out of the fog and reach the shore of success."

Zu'an was greatly startled. "You know about the keyboard system?" He had always considered this his ultimate trump card and never imagined it could be seen through.

"You call it a system?" Emperor Du chuckled. "How could I not know? I was one of those who participated in creating it back then. In fact, I even contributed a little trinket."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, and a dark dagger flew out from Zu'an's embrace, hovering in the air with a slight tremor, seemingly very excited.

Zu'an's heart stirred. "Is the 'Poison in the Dagger' yours?"

"'Poison in the Dagger'?" Emperor Du's brow furrowed slightly. "Your naming sense is as morbid as ever. This is 'Bi'... never mind, call it whatever you like."

He gently stroked the blade of 'Poison in the Dagger'. "In all realms and dimensions, any living being, no matter what existence, once scratched by this dagger, will find death to be their only destination. However, it is not yet fully unsealed and cannot unleash its full power."

After speaking, he gently patted it, and 'Poison in the Dagger' quickly returned to Zu'an's embrace.

"How can it be fully unsealed?" Zu'an asked curiously. No wonder 'Poison in the Dagger' possessed such a strong death aura; it was, after all, the weapon of Emperor Du, who governed death.

"Let nature take its course; you will know in time. If it were fully unsealed now, it would attract enemies you couldn't possibly contend with, which would be disadvantageous." Emperor Du continued, "You should know that even with it, you are not invincible, right?"

Zu'an nodded. Although 'Poison in the Dagger''s ability was incredibly powerful, it had a flaw: one had to be able to wound the opponent. If the gap between them was too vast, and he couldn't inflict a wound, the ability naturally couldn't be activated.

He originally wanted to inquire about the keyboard, but unfortunately, the other party shook his head and said, "This item is involved in too much karma. What I've told you about its connection to me is already the limit. You don't need to ask anything more."

Zu'an retorted in annoyance, "Then what *can* you talk about?"

Emperor Du replied, "For instance, this trial."

"So it seems I've passed the third trial as well?" Zu'an couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"You are indeed very clever, worthy of being my friend," Emperor Du said with a smile.

Zu'an thought, "Why does it feel like he's praising me on the surface, but actually patting himself on the back?"

"Ordinary trial-takers could only deduce that Buddhism was behind the plot, but only you could infer the Heavenly Emperor's shadow behind it all," Emperor Du mused. Over countless ages, this trial had welcomed many brilliant and extraordinary individuals, but unfortunately, the furthest they had ever guessed was the involvement of Buddhism.

"That was just a lucky guess, a mere coincidence," Zu'an replied, not being modest. Initially, he also thought it was all a Buddhist scheme. However, he had just had a sudden flash of insight, recalling various illogical points, and combined with his understanding of imperial strategies from years in high positions, he was able to make the correct deduction.

Thinking about it, if not for his memories of *Journey to the West* from his previous life, he probably wouldn't have thought that deeply.

At this thought, he could no longer suppress the doubt in his heart: "Why do I always feel like this trial was tailor-made for me?"

"You shouldn't speak such nonsense," Emperor Du said, stroking the beard on his chin. "From beginning to end, I have been fair and just. The only reason you feel this way is that you are destined."

Zu'an fell silent. Destiny... In the past, he would have considered it feudal superstition, but having cultivated to his current level, he was increasingly able to faintly sense the power of destiny.

He quickly snapped back to attention and asked, "By the way, why would the Taoist Three Pure Ones allow all of this to happen? Taishang Laojun is an ancestor of the Li Tang imperial family. How could he permit Buddhism to encroach upon his reserved territory?"